Bart Vingerhoets, senior commercial manager at Komatsu Smart Construction, says that adopting digital twins in earthmoving projects can address some of the challenges, such as labour shortages and rising materials costs, currently facing the earthmoving sector.
The European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop) has estimated 4.2 million construction worker job openings will need to be filled in Europe between 2022 and 2035 to meet projected demand. With an ageing workforce, rising project requirements and a shortage of skilled labour, investment in training and innovative technologies are essential for construction.
Digital twins are revolutionising earthmoving projects by providing a continuous up-to-date representation of a job site. Data within a digital twin can be utilised by AI systems to help optimise resource allocation.
By simulating different scenarios, such as fleet compositions or sequencing project milestones, AI can assist project managers in deploying machinery and labour, boosting productivity and allowing workers to focus on other tasks. In terms of training, digital twins assist in upskilling the workforce by improving progress tracking and enabling online logging of completed work, providing a reference for future maintenance or modifications. In addition, digital twins enable real-time tracking of progress, supporting managers in making decisions and resolving issues, minimising downtime and keeping projects on schedule.
Collaboration between the workforce is enhanced, as stakeholders can access the virtual site model, facilitating communication and feedback. Automating data analysis and reporting frees up time spent on administrative tasks, allowing the workforce to focus on critical tasks, leading to improved outcomes in projects.
A key jobsite focus is delivering projects on time and within budget. Digital twins enable predictive maintenance through real-time monitoring, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency. Solutions such as the Smart Construction Dashboard provide an interactive 3D model that updates continuously in real time via various data streams. This platform allows users to visualise operations, analyse performance and provides data to run predictive assessments based on historical trends.
Digital twins allow better-informed decision-making while boosting productivity and minimising reliance on guesswork to keep projects on track. This reduces delays, cuts rework requirements and minimises idling, enabling projects to run more efficiently. Improving safety is a major focus for the industry. Through the virtual job site, managers can boost workplace safety by identifying and mitigating potential hazards. By analysing real-time data, operators can detect potential risks and run safety trials before executing them, ensuring that the operation is successful.
Sensors and IoT technology enable the digital twin to track workers, vehicles and equipment, alerting the team when an issue arises. This capability allows for quick, reactive responses to mitigate risks and hazards. Additionally, site managers can monitor the site virtually, reducing travel time and fuel consumption as well as eliminating the need to visit hard-to-reach or dangerous environments.
For Sina Motsch, site manager for HEITKAMP Corporate Group, it was crucial that she made effective use of site information. By utilising Dashboard by Komatsu Smart Construction, Motsch was able to collect as-built data from the dozer to generate an accurate digital twin that was automatically updated as the site changed. The digital twin enabled Motsch to discover delays, developments or issues across the jobsite, without having to visit. Through Dashboard, project managers can track materials and progress as it happens, resulting in a wider status understanding and informing quick decision making. As technology and digital solutions advance, we can expect to see an increase in earthmoving operators adopting these innovations to meet industry demands and enhance their operations.
